10 Comedy Plays Every Theater Teacher Should Have in Their Collection
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week's email,
We discuss the ten comic plays every theatre educator should have in their classroom collection.
Plus, we will inform you about the most crucial theatre news and stories from last week.
So, raise the curtain, shine the spotlight, and dive into another thrilling week in the theatre world. Welcome to The Scene.
What Do Critics Think of Cole Escola’s ‘Oh, Mary!’ on Broadway? by Molly Higgins, Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The Broadway transfer of Escola’s campy comedy officially opened July 11 at the Lyceum Theatre. Read...
She Found Her Distinct Voice Portraying Nearly 20 Characters In The Play ‘Home’ by Jeryl Brunner, Forbes | Brittany Inge learned about the play ‘Home’ when the Roundabout Theatre Company and director Kenny Leon asked her to take part in a reading of Samm-Art Williams’ beloved 1979 drama. It was April 2021; the pandemic was raging, and they had to rehearse and film the reading on Zoom. Read...
Calista Flockhart, Christian Slater, and Marisa Tomei to Star in New Group's 2024-25 Season by Darryn King, Broadway.com | The 2024-25 season will include the New York premiere of Jessica Goldberg’s ‘Babe,’ starring Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, and Sam Shepard’s ‘Curse of the Starving Class,’ starring Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart, Golden Globe Award winner Christian Slater and Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman) in his stage debut. Read...
Creative Team Set for MCC Theater's New Douglas Lyons Play, Starring Kara Young by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Zhailon Levingston will direct the world premiere of ‘Table 17’ later this summer. Read...
Donna Murphy, Stephen McKinley Henderson, William Finn, and More Among the 2024 Theater Hall of Fame Inductees by Andrew Gans, Playbill | The 53rd Anniversary induction ceremony will be held in November at the Gershwin Theatre. Read...
36th Annual Festival Of New Musicals Announces Selectees & Finalists by A.A. Cristi, Broadway World | The 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals is slated to take place on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2024, at New World Stages. Read...
Olivia Bellido Wins 2024 Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The North Carolina educator will receive a $5,000 cash prize from The ASCAP Foundation and the Educational Theatre Association. Read...
Broadway Licensing Global Partners With Terrence McNally Foundation For New Cover Designs To Combat Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislation by Chloe Rabinowitz, Broadway World | These refreshed editions of McNally's plays will be available for purchase in July. The proceeds will support the Foundation's ongoing efforts to promote equality. Read...
‘Schmigadoon!’ Creator Reveals ‘Into the Schmoods’ Theme for the Show's Canceled Third Season by Hayley Levitt, Broadway.com | In January, Apple TV pulled the plug on season three of the musical series ‘Schmigadoon!,’ co-created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Read...
The Big Idea
10 Comedy Plays Every Theater Teacher Should Have in Their Collection
by Zach Dulli, The Scene
Laughter is the lifeblood of theater, and there's no better way to engage high school students than through the joyous art of comedy. Whether you're looking to fill a semester with hilarity or need a show-stopping piece, the following plays are must-haves for every high school theater collection. These ten titles were selected based on data available from NPR Ed. The first of its kind, NPR Ed's database of the most produced plays and musicals in U.S. High Schools includes information dating back to the 1940s. So, let’s dive in and discover these ten must-have comedic plays to keep in your classroom!
1. You Can't Take It with You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
About: Since its premiere in 1936, Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You has been one of the most famous plays ever written, winning the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an Academy Award for its 1939 film version. In addition, You Can’t Take It with You was also the most-produced title in US High Schools in the 1940s,1970s, and 1980s, the second most-produced play in the 1950s, 1960s, and 2000s, the third most-produced in the 1990s, and the fifth most in the 2010s. Or the most-produced US High School of all time.
The Story: The family of Martin Vanderhof lives “just around the corner from Columbia University—but don’t go looking for it.” Grandpa, as Martin is more commonly known, is the paterfamilias of a large and extended family: His daughter, Penny, who fancies herself a romance novelist; her husband, Paul, an amateur fireworks expert; their daughter, Alice, an attractive and loving girl who is still embarrassed by her family’s eccentricities—which include a xylophone player/leftist leaflet printer, an untalented ballerina, a couple on relief, and a ballet master exiled from Soviet Russia. When Alice falls for her boss, Tony, a handsome scion of Wall Street, she fears that their two families—so unlike in manner, politics, and finances—will never come together. During a disastrous dinner party, Alice’s worst fears are confirmed. Her prospective in-laws are humiliated in a party game, fireworks explode in the basement, and the FBI raids the house. Frustrated and upset, Alice intends to run away to the country until Grandpa and Co.—playing the role of Cupid—manage to bring the happy couple together and set Tony’s father straight about the true priorities in life. After all, why be obsessed with money? You can’t take it with you.
2. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
About: A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of Shakespeare's most enchanting plays, is generally dated between 1595 and 1596, though its exact timing of composition remains unclear. The play might have been crafted for an aristocratic wedding, such as that of Thomas Berkeley and Elizabeth Carey, or for the celebration of St. John's feast day for the Queen, although these theories lack concrete evidence. Originally performed at The Theatre and later at The Globe, A Midsummer Night's Dream drew on various literary sources for inspiration, including Ovid's Metamorphoses and Chaucer's The Knight's Tale. It also echoes elements from Aristophanes' The Birds, particularly in the comedic transformation of characters into bird-like figures. The play's intricate plot involving four lovers tested in a mystical forest aligns with Shakespeare’s focus on lyrical expression during his early-middle period, following Romeo and Juliet and preceding contemplations for The Merchant of Venice. This period marks a significant exploration of lyrical narrative in Shakespeare’s career. While A Midsummer Night's Dream is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays to appear in any of the top 6 most-produced plays in U.S. High Schools since the 1940s, the play has been one of the top 3 most-produced plays every decade from the 1990s to today.
The Story: A Midsummer Night's Dream weaves a magical narrative centered around the complexities of love, set in an enchanted forest near Athens. The play intertwines the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, both manipulated by the mischievous fairy Puck. Chaos ensues under the influence of a love potion as Lysander and Demetrius, initially in love with Hermia, suddenly become enamored with Helena, leading to a comical series of conflicts and mistaken identities. Simultaneously, Puck’s antics transform an actor, Bottom, giving him a donkey's head, further complicating the romantic misadventures. Amidst this backdrop, the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, experience their own tumult due to the same magical influences. The play resolves with reconciliations and marriages, as the magical interlude appears as nothing more than a dream to the bewildered participants, illustrating Shakespeare’s fascination with the whimsicality of love and the thin line between reality and illusion.
3. Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
About: Arsenic and Old Lace, by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, was penned in 1939 and has since become an enduring classic, including a 1944 cinematic adaptation directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. The inspiration for this darkly comedic narrative is believed to be traced back to the chilling real-life events involving Amy Archer-Gilligan, a serial killer who ran The Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids in Windsor, Connecticut. Archer-Gilligan infamously lured seniors under the guise of care, only for many to succumb to mysterious stomach ailments, leading to her eventual exposure as a murderer. Having heard about Archer-Gilligan in his youth, Kesselring deepened his knowledge through archival research in Connecticut, which directly influenced his creation of the play. Arsenic and Old Lace first graced the Broadway stage at the Fulton Theatre on January 10, 1941, achieving a remarkable run of 1,444 performances before closing on June 17, 1944, at the Hudson Theatre. Its success was mirrored in London's West End, where it opened on December 23, 1942, at the Strand Theatre and ran until March 2, 1946, accumulating 1,337 performances. For six decades, from the 1950s through the 2000s, Arsenic and Old Lace was one of the top 6 most-produced plays in U.S. High Schools, and while no longer in the top six, this play remains one of the most-produced plays in both schools and community theatres across the country today.
The Story: Drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunt’s window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor; they killed him! Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine, a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another brother using plastic surgery to hide from the police—not to mention Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage—it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic black comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.
Arsenic and Old Lace is available from Dramatists Play Service (A Broadway Licensing Global Company).
4. Almost Maine by John Cariani
About: John Cariani ‘s Almost, Maine was initially developed at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002 and premiered at the Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004, breaking box office records and receiving widespread critical acclaim. Following its success, it opened Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre on January 12, 2006, with a cast that included Todd Cerveris, Justin Hagan, Miriam Shor, and Finnerty Steeves under the direction of Gabriel Barre. Although this run was brief, closing on February 12, 2006, the play was recognized in Smith and Kraus' "New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2006." Published by Dramatists Play Service in 2007, Almost, Maine has since become enormously popular in the United States, enjoying nearly 100 professional productions and over 5,000 community, university, and high school productions. It is now one of the most frequently produced plays in North American high schools and has seen over twenty international productions and translations into more than a dozen languages.
The Story: Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town because its residents never got around to getting organized. So, it almost doesn’t exist. One cold, clear winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.
5. The Curious Savage by John Patrick
About: The Curious Savage, written by John Patrick, first graced the New York stage under the production wings of the Theatre Guild and producers Lewis & Young at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 24, 1950. Directed by Peter Glenville with the legendary Lillian Gish portraying Ethel Savage, the play unfolds primarily as a comedy. It ingeniously contrasts the sanity of the residents at The Cloisters, a supposed mental institution, with the irrational behaviors of Mrs. Savage's stepchildren, leading audiences to question the true definition of madness as the plot progresses. Patrick himself emphasized in his foreword the necessity of portraying the Cloisters' residents with warmth and dignity, asserting that their representation as anything but gently eccentric would undermine the play's critique of the so-called sane society. His directive was clear: avoid caricature to preserve the poignant humor and underlying message of the play, highlighting a profound contrast with the external world's actual insanity. While no longer produced in many U.S. High Schools today, The Curious Savage was one of the most-produced plays in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s.
The Story: Mrs. Savage has been left ten million dollars by her husband and wants to make the best use of it, in spite of her grown-up stepchildren’s efforts to get their hands on it. Knowing that the widow’s wealth is now in negotiable securities, and seeing they cannot get hold of the fortune, the stepchildren commit her to a sanatorium, hoping to “bring her to her senses.” In the sanatorium, Mrs. Savage meets various social misfits, men and women who cannot adjust themselves to life, and people who need the help Mrs. Savage can provide. In getting to know them, she realizes that she will find happiness with them and plans to spend the rest of her life as one of them. But when the doctor tells her there is no reason she should remain, she hesitates to go out into a brutal world where people seem ready to do anything for money. The self-seeking stepchildren are distracted by their vain efforts to browbeat Mrs. Savage, but she preserves her equanimity and leads them on a merry chase. At last, her friends conspire to get rid of her stepchildren, and through their simple belief in the justice of her cause, they enable Mrs. Savage to carry out her plans to establish a fund to help others realize their hopes and dreams. The dominant mood is high comedy, and the audience is left with a feeling that the neglected virtues of kindness and affection have not been entirely lost in a world that seems, at times, motivated only by greed and dishonesty.
The Curious Savage is available from Dramatists Play Service ( A Broadway Licensing Global Company).
6. Clue: On Stage, adapted from the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, written by Sandy Rustin, additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price
About: Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue: On Stage has been the most-produced play in U.S. High Schools for the past five years. On February 27, 2024, Clue began a 20-city National Tour at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.
The Story: Clue: On Stage is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery play. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party, and murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth–the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!
7. Harvey by Mary Chase
About: Harvey, penned by American playwright Mary Chase, premiered on Broadway at the 48th Street Theatre on November 1, 1944, and continued its successful run until January 15, 1949. During its tenure, the play amassed an impressive 1,775 performances, ranking it as the fifth longest-running Broadway show at the time. Directed by Antoinette Perry—after whom the Tony Award is named—and produced by Brock Pemberton, the original cast featured Frank Fay as Elwood P. Dowd and Josephine Hull as his sister, Veta. The play's charm extended across the Atlantic with a 1949 London production at the Prince of Wales Theatre, which starred Sid Field and Athene Seyler, and later Leslie Henson after Field's death. Chase's work not only won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945 but also enjoyed numerous adaptations, including a notable 1950 film featuring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. Theatre historian Jordan Schildcrout notes that while Harvey had become a mainstay for amateur theatre groups, its stature was significantly enhanced by critically acclaimed professional revivals at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C., in 1987 and the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis in 1989. Subsequent major productions at regional theaters such as the Steppenwolf Theatre, Cleveland PlayHouse, Seattle Rep, and La Jolla Playhouse throughout the early 1990s further solidified its status in American theatre. Harvey was among U.S. High Schools' top 6 most produced plays in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Story: Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. The trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family—and especially for her daughter, Myrtle Mae—Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. At the sanitarium, a frantic Veta explains to the staff that her years of living with Elwood’s hallucinations have caused her to see Harvey, also. So, the doctors mistakenly commit her instead of her mild-mannered brother. The truth comes out, however; Veta is freed, and the search is on for Elwood, who eventually arrives at the sanitarium of his own volition, looking for Harvey. But it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only at the end does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn’t so bad after all.
8. Noises Off by Michael Frayn
About: Noises Off, a comedic gem penned by English playwright Michael Frayn in 1982, is a quintessential example of farce, lauded as possibly "the funniest farce ever written." The inception of this uproarious play traces back to a moment Frayn had while observing from the wings a performance of his own farce, realizing the behind-the-scenes antics were even more hilarious than those onstage. This revelation spurred him to create Noises Off, first introduced as the short-lived one-act Exits in 1977 before evolving into its complete form at the behest of his associate, Michael Codron. Premiering at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, the play quickly garnered critical acclaim, transitioning smoothly to the Savoy Theatre in the West End and later conquering Broadway with an ensemble that earned it multiple Tony nominations and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Its popularity made it a staple across professional and community theatres globally. Further cementing its cultural footprint, Noises Off was adapted into a star-studded film in 1992 by director Peter Bogdanovich. The enduring appeal of this classic farce not only underscores Frayn’s masterful handle of the genre but also its potential influence on subsequent theatrical works, including another play on this list, The Play That Goes Wrong.
The Story: Noises Off presents a comical meta-theatrical experience with its three acts, each depicting a performance of the first act of a play within a play titled Nothing On—a raucous sex farce involving scantily clad young women, trouser-dropping older men, and a barrage of slamming doors, all set in a charmingly modernized 16th-century posset mill. The entirety of Noises Off, humorously labeled as "Act One" in its script, offers a glimpse into the chaotic world of theater production. The first act unfolds during a disordered technical rehearsal at the fictional Grand Theatre in Weston-super-Mare, where the cast struggles with their lines, cues, and problematic props, notably plates of sardines, much to the chagrin of Lloyd, their director. The second act provides a backstage view at a matinee in the Theatre Royal in Ashton-under-Lyne a month later, showcasing escalating offstage drama and onstage mayhem. By the third act, set in the Municipal Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, relationships among the cast have deteriorated, the set is in shambles, and the performance descends into improvisational chaos as the actors desperately try to salvage the show amidst the disarray.
9. Rumors by Neil Simon
About: Rumors, a delightful farce by Neil Simon, premiered on September 22, 1988, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, before making its Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 17, 1988. The production, under the skilled direction of Gene Saks, featured a star-studded original cast including Mark Nelson, Lisa Banes, Christine Baranski, Andre Gregory, Ken Howard, Ron Leibman, Joyce Van Patten, and Jessica Walter. Christine Baranski's standout performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. Rumors enjoyed a successful run after transferring to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, closing after 535 performances and eight previews. While its popularity in U.S. high schools has waned, it was notably the fifth most-produced play in the 2000s, showcasing its enduring appeal and comedic strength. Rumors is also the only Neil Simon play to make the top 6 of the most-produced plays in U.S. High Schools.
The Story: When a group of friends gathers for a tenth wedding anniversary party, they find the host shot and his wife missing. As they try to conceal the situation from the police and other guests, misunderstandings and comic chaos spiral out of control in this classic farce.
10. The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields
About: The Play That Goes Wrong, conceived by Mischief Theatre Company trio Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, is a comedic tour de force that has delighted audiences since its debut in 2012 at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London. This uproarious play chronicles the calamitous attempts of a hapless theatre company to stage a murder mystery, only for everything that can go wrong to hilariously do so. After its initial run, the production moved to Trafalgar Studios in 2013 and subsequently settled at the Duchess Theatre in the West End on September 14, 2014, where it continues to run, becoming the longest-standing play in the venue's history. Garnering the Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards, the play has enjoyed widespread acclaim and extensive tours, including five throughout the UK. It crossed the Atlantic to Broadway, opening at the Lyceum Theatre on April 2, 2017, with previews starting March 9, featuring the original London cast and marking film director J.J. Abrams's debut as a theatrical producer. After concluding its Broadway stint in 2019 with 745 performances, it transferred off-Broadway to New World Stages, where it continues to be performed. The Play That Goes Wrong has been adapted for over 30 countries, demonstrating its universal appeal and the timeless joy of theatre mishaps. While not currently on the list of top plays produced in U.S. High Schools, expect this hilarious play to appear very soon.
The Story: Welcome to the opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things quickly go from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter.
These ten comedies span time and styles, offering something for every high school theater teacher's collection. Not only do they entertain, but they also challenge students to hone their comedic timing, explore diverse characters, and engage with sharp social commentary. Investing in these plays ensures that your theater program is equipped with some of the best comedic literature available. So, fill your classroom with laughter and watch your students grow into confident, capable performers while having the time of their lives.
Broadway Licensing Global Makes ‘Cluedo’ Available in the UK by PR NewsWire | Broadway Licensing Global is opening licensing availability for the highly-anticipated play, ‘Cluedo,’ based on the popular Hasbro board game and the Paramount Pictures motion picture, ‘Clue.’ Read...
Katori Hall's Pulitzer-Winning, ‘The Hot Wing King,’ Begins U.K. Premiere at London's National Theatre by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Roy Alexander Weise directs the new production with Kadiff Kirwan leading the cast. Read...
Cameron Mackintosh's New Production of ‘Oliver!’ Begins in Chichester by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, the production is playing at the Chichester Festival Theatre before arriving in the West End. Read...
Watch: Vanessa Williams Previews Her Cerulean Monologue From ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The stage and screen favorite is starring as Miranda Priestly in the West End-bound stage musical of the 2006 film. View...
Muhammad Ali Biomusical Sets Chicago World Premiere by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Telling the story of the boxing champion and humanitarian, the Broadway-aimed musical features a book by Clint Dyer and score by Teddy Abrams. Read...
Carmen Cusack, Nik Walker, and John Behlmann to Star in ‘Bull Durham, A New Musical’ by Margaret Hall, Playbill | Initially developed in 2014, this is a reworked adaptation with eyes on New York following the southern tryout. Read...
Rudy Pankow, Emilia Suárez, and Terrence Mann Will Star in A.R.T. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Diane Paulus and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui are staging the Shakespearean tragedy. Read...
See Who's Starring in Signature Staging of Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang's ‘Soft Power’ by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Ethan Heard will direct the musical fantasia at the Arlington, Virginia, venue. Read...
Free Reads of the Week
You can read entire plays for free! Free Reads titles are perfect for your theatre, school, and competition performances. Click on the image or the button below to be taken to the Play’s page; once you are there, click the "READ NOW" button and enjoy!
The Gift of the Magi adapted by Jon Jory
The Story: Jim and Della eat potatoes for dinner every night and stuff their boots with newspaper to get by, but everything they want is for each other. They're so head-over-heels in love they can make a cozy home in turn-of-the-century New York with little more than the coins in their jam jar. But what's to be done about Christmas? When a strange twist of fate leads the young couple to find the perfect gifts for one another at an unexpected cost, Jim and Della learn the true meaning of the holiday. Classic Christmas carols punctuate this sweet and joyful retelling of the O. Henry story.
Christmas Comedy | 75 - 95 minutes | 5 W, 4 M, 2 Any (9-15 actors possible: 5-9 W, 3-7 M) | Set: Furniture on a bare stage with a rolling door frame.
